(Image via SportsGrid.com)

Sunday’s 2012 Pro Bowl started out pretty much as expected, with defensive players giving minimal effort at little things like rushing the passer, covering and tackling, setting the stage for the offensive shootout that ensued. The AFC ultimately out-gunned the NFC 59-41, with Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall reeling in a Pro Bowl record 4 TDs and earning the MVP trophy.

And while this laissez-faire defensive attitude elicited boos from the crowd and groans from television viewers everywhere, the game did end up providing a few noteworthy moments. To be honest, we didn’t actually watch the whole thing, but we got a pretty good feel for things via the stats and game highlights … and with 100 total points scored, you get the general idea: defense (and running backs) took the day off in Honolulu today. For their part, the NFC had three players – Tony Gonzalez, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith - with more than 100 yards receiving, with Fitzgerald pulling in three scores of his own.

Marshall finished with 176 yards on six catches, but none of them were as memorable as this unbelievable (and wildly lucky) third quarter grab of a tipped Andy Dalton pass while laying on his back in the endzone:

VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP

BONUS GIF: The other worthwhile highlight came Drew Brees attempted the rarely-seen drop kick extra point late in the 4th quarter, only to miss it badly [VIDEO here]

(via mocksession.com)

(Image via Sportsgrid.com)

We’re obviously a little late to the party on this, but the San Francisco 49ers took down the New Orleans Saints 36-32 in the game of the Divisional Playoff weekend, with Alex Smith delivering the game-winning TD to Vernon Davis on what will undoubtedly forever go down in San Francisco sports history as “The Catch III”. 

Both Smith and Davis turned in career-making performances and Smith finally delivered on his #1 pick expectations by out-dueling the NFL’s all-time single season passing leader (Drew Brees) in a game that saw four lead changes in the final 5 minutes! Smith had his NFL bar mitzvah and became a man on Saturday, finishing with 299 yards and 3 TDs passing, 0 INTs and one 28-yard rushing score to pus SF ahead late in the 4th.

For his part, Vernon Davis cemented himself in Niner lore with 7 catches for 180 yards and 2 TDs, including the game winner on a 14-yard strike from Smith with nine seconds remaining. After dominating all day long and when his team needed him most, Davis delivered a huge blow to Saints safety Roman Harper in the endzone and managed to hang onto the ball for the win.

On what was very nearly the 30th anniversary of the original “The Catch” – Dwight Clark‘s infamous touchdown grab in the 1981 NFC Championship game (1/10/82) – Davis’ play more closely resembled “The Catch II” by Terrell Owens in 1999, right down to crying on the shoulder of head coach Jim Harbaugh as he ran to the sideline (pic above).

VIDEO OF ALL THREE 49ERS “CATCHES” AFTER THE JUMP

But after the game, rather than embrace the obvious connection to his predecessors, Davis insisted that his catch go by a different name:

“You’ve got to call it “The Grab,’ ” Davis said of his play. “We were down. I had to make it happen to take my teammates where we want to go.”

“This is huge for us … It’s history, legendary, anything you can describe.”

Yeah … good luck with that, Vern.  It’s “The Catch III”. Get used to it.

The high-powered Saints offense also contributed five turnovers to the Niners’ cause, including 2 Brees interceptions, but give credit where credit is due. Much like their adopted team mascot the honey badger, Jim Harbaugh’s team took what it wanted and proved themselves the better team on this day. The win gives SF their first playoff win in nine years, and they’ll next play host to the New York Giants in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.

Now thanks to the wonders of Youtube, here are all three of the historic 49ers “Catches” in chronological order – Clark>Owens>Davis:

After the off-season we’ve suffered through, we need our football more than ever right now to help us forget the ugly business side of the game (at least for another 10 years or so), and return some sense of normalcy to our lives. But lest we get over-excited at this weekend’s impending slate of games, the boys over at Reddit/r/NFL are here with this friendly reminder from Drew Brees to keep ourselves in check.

(Image via Reddit/r/nfl)

Consider this a public service announcement.

[via Shutdown Corner]

A picture says 1000 words (Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images via ESPN.com)

The New Orleans Saints shocked the world and defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Super Bowl XLIV, and bring the Lombardi Trophy home to the city of New Orleans.

Trailing 10-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, head coach Sean Payton made a series of gutsy calls – including a failed 4th and goal attempt in the 2nd quarter and successful onside kick to start the 2nd half – that helped the Saints chip away at the lead and put themselves in a position to win.

Drew Brees went 32-39 for 288 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions to collect the MVP award, and the Saints defense came up big when it mattered to preserve the lead.  The game winning-play came when Tracy Porter picked off Peyton Manning and brought it 74 yards to the house with 3:12 remaining.

WATCH VIDEO OF PORTER’S INTERCEPTION AFTER THE JUMP

Porter also picked off Brett Favre to seal the NFC Championship game two weeks ago (video here).  And for Manning, who is already regarded by many as the best QB of all time, it is a legacy-defining play.

Full Super Bowl XLIV highlights from NFL.com here

Congratulations to the Saints … and good for the city of New Orleans.

But earlier in the game, Meachem made an incredible play that might have given us a hint that things weren’t going to go the Redskins way on this day.  With less than a minute remaining in the first half, the Saints had the ball in Washington territory, trailing 17-10.  On 3rd and 26, Drew Brees threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Kareem Moore. It seemed like a spectacular momentum-shifter, one that would allow the Redskins to head into the locker room ahead, and to believe that the impossible was possible.

And then, this happened:

You’ve gotta hand it to Meachem on this one … he didn’t give up on the play, and made a spectacular individual effort.  But this, along with the missed FG and a few other balls that bounced New Orleans’ way, had some people wondering if the Saints hadn’t employed some hometown voodoo on the proceedings:

“I don’t know about the voodoo, but I definitely believe in destiny,” said Drew Brees. “I believe in karma, and what goes around comes around. We’ve been on the other side of this deal probably too many times, and maybe it’s our time, that we start catching some of the breaks.”

And who are we to buck the system? If nothing else, this exercise allows us to take a step back to examine the first 9 weeks of action, and heap accolades on those whose performances have set them apart from the pack thus far (in either a good or not-so-good way).

So without further adieu, here they are, the inaugural ReadAndReact Mid-Season NFL Awards:

Why yes, the crow does taste fine. Thanks for asking (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

MVP: Brett Favre, MIN - As much as we hate to admit it, the old man has been the difference maker in Minnesota, and is the main reason they’re sitting atop the NFC central.  So far. It’s mainly about the attitude he brings, and the belief the rest of his teammates now have in their chances. But so far, Favre has put up excellent numbers (16TDs vs 3 INTs), and shows no signs of slowing down.  But then, we were saying the same thing about Favre and the Jets at this point last year.  We’ll see how the arm holds up come week 16.

Coach of the Year: Josh McDaniels/Mike Nolan, DEN – in a total shocker to everyone in the league, McDaniels has come into Denver and changed the team culture in record time, leading the team out to a fast 6-0 start.  And Nolan’s defense – currently 3rd in the NFL in Total Yds/Gm, and 1st in defensive touchdowns (8 so far) – has been the main reason for their success.

Still pointing at us (Photo: C. Schneider/AP)

Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees, NO – I’m taking Brees over Peyton Manning here, mainly because we’ve come to expect this sort of ruthless efficiency from Peyton, but Brees seems to have entered a new stratosphere in 2009.  He’s playing about as well as you can at the position (106 QB Rating), and has the Saints leading the NFL in total offense.

Defensive Player of the Year: Darren Sharper, NO – With a league-leading 7 interceptions (3 of them returned for TDs!), Sharper has changed the attitude of the Saints defense, and helped turn them into a force. Is it scary that a Saint is getting the award for both offense and defense?  Yes, and it’s why I like the Saints to go all the way this year.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin, MIN – One of the most exciting offensive playmakers to come along in a while, Harvin is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.  With 5 TDs in 8 games – 3 via reception and 2 via KO return – Harvin has challenged the Vikings coaching staff to develop more ways to get the ball into his hands.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jairus Byrd, BUF - The first-year DB has been a ball-hawking machine, with multiple interceptions in 3 consecutive games!  With 7 interceptions so far, Byrd is tied for the NFL lead, and is on pace for 14 this season, which would tie an NFL record.

Continue reading after the jump for more RnR Mid-Season Awards

Cedric Benson is running like his old Texas self (Photo: ESPN.com)

Comeback player of the Year: Cedric Benson, CIN – This one isn’t really even close.  Benson – a former 1st-round pick – was run out of Chicago after the 2007 season with a rep for being lazy and lacking passion.  With a new lease on life in Cincinnati, Benson is averaging over 100-yds/game this season, and is 2nd in the NFL in rushing.

Surprise Player of the Year: (tie) Steve Smith, NYG and Miles Austin, DAL - These two young Wide Receivers in the NFC East have come seemingly from nowhere this season to lead their respective teams in receiving yards.  In the process, they have made people forget about 2 huge names (Burress and Owens) few thought could be replaced.  Smith is 4th in the NFL in receiving yards, while Austin is tied for the league lead with 7 TDs.

Worst Offensive Player of the Year: JaMarcus Russell, OAK - In the immortal words of Dean Wormer, “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”

Haynesworth has looked better (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Worst Defensive Player of the Year: Albert Haynesworth, WAS - The latest in a long line of Dan Snyder big-ticket FA failures, Haynesworth has demonstrated just how far a player can fall after a contract year, and how bad one can make an owner look.  After cashing the big check in Washington, Haynesworth has 25 tackles and 3 sacks in 2009. And despite Haynesworth’s reputation as a run-stopper, the Redskins rank 25th in the NFL in run defense.

Next Coach to lose their job: Tom Cable, OAK – The writing is on the wall in Oakland, with the National Organization for Women clamoring for Cable’s job, and the league looking into sending Cable to therapy for his  temper & “issues” with both coaches and ladies.  And you just know Al Davis is dusting off the ol’ Rolodex, getting ready to make George Blanda the next Raiders coach.

So there you have it.  Feel free to choose your own winners in the comments section, and recommend any categories we may have left out.

Jergensen & McMahon dressed to the nines

In honor of 09.09.09, we figured we’d delve into the numerology of the NFL, and list the best players ever to don the fabled #9 jersey. From elsewhere in the sports world, we have names like Ted Williams, Roger Maris and Gordie Howe. But because of the NFL’s positional numbering rules, this means we’re looking at Quarterbacks, Kickers and Punters … so pretty much just QBs.

We’ll admit it, this started as a top 9 list, to go along with the theme of the day.  But we simply couldn’t come up with any more than seven (sorry, Matt Stafford doesn’t make the list yet). And when we started scouring the annals of NFL history for punter jersey #s, we just started to feel bad about ourselves.

Here’s our list … feel free to chime in with any we might have missed:

1. Sonny Jurgensen: During his 18 seasons in Philadelphia and Washington from 1957 to 1974 established himself as one of the best pure passers in league history.  Vince Lombardi once stated of Sonny: “Jurgensen is a great quarterback. He hangs in there under adverse conditions. He may be the best the league has ever seen. He is the best I have ever seen.”
2. Steve McNair: In 13 seasons with the Titans and Ravens, McNair threw for more than 31,000 yards and, perhaps more importantly, proved to be one of the toughest players in league history. RIP
3. Jim McMahon: The punky QB was also a pretty good passer who led the Bears to Super Bowl glory in 1985. An outstanding leader, McMahon became a cult hero during the 80s for his rebellious approach to the game and headbands.
4. Drew Brees: It’s hard to believe the Dolphins weren’t willing to take a chance on Brees, preferring to go with Daunte Culpepper instead. All Brees has done since is rack up huge yardage and heads into the 2009 season as the top-ranked QB in the NFL.
5. 

   The legendary Bill Wade

   Bill Wade: starting QB for the 1963 NFL champion Chicago Bears, Wade threw for over 18,000 yards in his twelve seasons in the AFL/NFL.

6. Carson Palmer: Has thrown for over 15,000 yards and 100 TDs in his 5 seasons as Bengals starter. Gets extra points for having to work with Ochocinco day in and day out.
7. Tony Romo: The Cowboys starter since 2006 has been a great regular season performer, who is perhaps more notorious for his taste in women than he is for his football accomplishments.  Simply cannot rank higher until he shows he can play solid football past November.